Reported Dietary Intake Linked to Inflammation for >50 Percent of Adults

Dietary intake associated with high inflammation reported more often in men, younger adults, non-Hispanic Blacks

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Oct. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — More than half of U.S. adults report 24-hour dietary intakes associated with inflammation, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in Public Health Nutrition.

Rachel J. Meadows, Ph.D., from the Center for Epidemiology & Healthcare Delivery Research in Fort Worth, Texas, and colleagues examined sociodemographic differences in energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) scores among American adults in a cross-sectional study. A 24-hour dietary recall was used to compute E-DII scores. Data were included for 34,547 non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic adults aged 20 years and older. The results were compared using complete case analyses (CCA) and multiple imputation (MI) for handling missing data (subpopulations included 34,547 and 23,955, respectively).

The researchers found that 57 percent of adults reported 24-hour intakes associated with inflammation. Similar patterns were seen for both analytical methods, and 24-hour dietary intakes associated with high inflammation were more often reported among men, younger adults, non-Hispanic Black adults, and those with lower education or income. Mostly modest differences (≤20 percent) were seen in point estimates between CCA and MI.

“Moving toward a diet with less inflammation could have a positive impact on a number of chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even depression and other mental health conditions,” Meadows said in a statement.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.